Woolworths reintroduces buying limits for essential items in Victoria

Supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles have brought back product limits on essential items across its Victorian stores amid panic buying.

Supermarket giant Woolworths has announced it will be reimposing buying limits on essential items in Victoria, after Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the state will be tightening lockdown restrictions.

Woolworths has reinstated a purchase limit of two items per customer across at least 50 product categories in Victoria.

“We understand this is an anxious time for our Victorian customers, but we encourage everyone to continue shopping as they usually would and only buy what they need,” Claire Peters, Woolworths Supermarkets Managing Director, said in a statement on Sunday.

“Stock will continue to flow from our distribution centres and as an essential service, Woolworths supermarkets remain open to support customers’ food and grocery needs.”

The move follows an increase in demand across Victorian stores in the past 24 hours.

RELATED: Supermarkets cut hours amid panic buying

RELATED: Follow for the latest coronavirus updates

Woolworths has reintroduced purchase limits (2 per customer) on the following in Victoria. pic.twitter.com/spFdBy61pe

— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) August 2, 2020

Mr Andrews urged people to resist panic buying.

“I want to make the point there’s no need to be queuing up at the Coles or Woolworths or queuing up at the local baker or butcher, they’ll remain open. They’ll remain to be able to provide you with the things that you need,” he said in a press briefing on Sunday.

Under the new restrictions, Victorians will not be allowed to travel more than 5km away from home for shopping and only one person will be able to go shopping once per day, Mr Andrews said.

Woolworths is enforcing purchase limits of two items across the following product categories:

• Toilet paper
• Paper Towel
• Baby Wipes
• Tissues
• Anti Bacterial Wipes
• Liquid Hand Wash
• Disinfectants
• Bleach
• Cleaners
• Disposable Gloves
• Sponges & Scourers
• Rice
• Pasta
• Flour
• Sugar
• Frozen Vegetables
• Frozen Potato
• Frozen Fruit
• Frozen Fish
• Frozen Poultry
• Long life Milk
• Long life Milk (Speciality)
• Noodles (Mainstream)
• Cooking Oil
• Pasta Sauce
• Vinegar (White)
• Packet Side Dish – Pasta & Sauce
• Indian foods and sauces
• Mexican Dinner kits
• Salsa
• Canned Tomato
• Canned Vegetables
• Canned Legumes
• Canned Fruit
• Baked Beans & Spaghetti
• Dairy Milk
• Dairy Milk (Specialty)
• Chilled Juice
• Bacon Prepacked
• Eggs
• Mince (fixed weight only)
• Sausages
• Burgers, Rissoles and meatballs
• Carrots Prepacked
• Potatoes Prepacked
• Onions Prepacked
• Bread (loaves) including in-store
• Frozen Seafood

RELATED: Panic buying grips Melbourne as lockdown looms

People queue outside a Melbourne supermarket to stock up on the essentials. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Ian Currie.

Additionally, the following limits apply across the meat category:

• 2x packs Pork

• 2x packs Lamb

• 2x packs Beef

• 2x packs Chicken

A 1kg limit applies on the following:

• Meat from the Butcher

• Small Goods from the Deli

• Poultry from the Deli

A 2kg limit applies on the following loose vegetables

• Carrots

• Onions

• Potatoes

Woolworths Australia has introduced buying limits on certain products. Picture: Twitter

• COLES BUYING RESTRICTIONS ON MEAT

  Coles has updated temporary purchase limits for supermarkets, Coles Express and Coles Online orders in Victoria and NSW border stores, which are served by its Victorian supply chain.

  As of today, Coles has introduced buying limits on chicken breast, thigh and mince meat.

  • x2 chicken breast

  • x2 chicken thighs

  • x2 mince

  “These limits are in addition to the existing two pack per customer limit on hand sanitiser and one pack per customer limit on face masks,” a Coles spokesperson said.

  “No other purchase limits currently apply, with the exception of its standard national four unit limit on infant formula.”

  The supermarket giant’s chief operating officer Matt Swindells told the Today show on Monday morning the meat limit is to help support the replenishment of all of those categories in Victorian stores.

  “It is also to make sure that everyone gets the food they need through the next six weeks of this lockdown,” Mr Swindells said.

  The decision comes after an influx of meat buying with Mr Swindells telling the program the category has been “impacted” the most.

  “I am in the shop this morning and I have to say it has pulled up beautifully, the team have done an outstanding job but it is the meat case that has taken the biggest hit,” he told the program.

As of Monday, August 3, Coles will have buying limits on its meat category. Picture: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

• “It is not the same as the first round of panic buying. This is actually quite targeted and we managed to get the supply chain mobilised ahead of this so the rest of the shop has pulled up really well today.”

  He said there hasn’t been a rush on toilet paper, nor have they seen the same level of anxiety from the previous lockdown.

  “There was a definite level of calmness and an approach to it that was a bit more of Victorians are going to get through this and get this done, and a lot less of we are now panicking and buying toilet paper,” Mr Swindells said.

  “I can absolutely tell you that we are doing everything that we can and we have been leading the way with the Department of Health in Victoria on new standards for distribution centre hygiene.”

  Mr Swindells said they are going to ensure supply keeps going.

  “We have a lot of contingency plans. There is lots of other ways we can source supply. We will make sure that when you come to the shops you can buy what you need.”

  In line with the curfew requirements, Coles is however asking customers to shop alone wherever possible and visit stores no more than once per day.